The Bottom Line: A Thankless Job

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those
of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of
Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company,
Evolve Media.

* * *

MMA referee is an altogether difficult job. It offers limited
rewards and plenty of downside, and the opportunities to fall flat
on your face are constant for pretty much every second you’re doing
it. That’s not to say referees don’t deserve the criticism they
receive when they make mistakes. Certainly, there will never be a
parade thrown for a particularly strong job of refereeing. However,
the referees that have established themselves as quality officials
do deserve to be treated with respect for their efforts in an
unrewarding enterprise. Marc Goddard
deserved better than his treatment by Conor
McGregor at Bellator
187 on Friday in Dublin.

Unlike in most other major sports, MMA referees have the power to
declare the winner of the competition at any moment. After the
decision has been made, it can’t be changed. Given that power, the
stakes for their decisions are extremely high. Moreover, their
decisions are frequently of the split-second variety. One fighter
lands a big punch out of nowhere and the referee has to judge in
real time just how badly the other fighter is hurt, all while the
lander of the blow is looking to cause severe physical damage.

The job MMA officials are provided is thus like an NBA referee
having to decide whether to make a close-call foul on one seemingly
random play, only that decision will decide the game and it can’t
be reviewed afterwards. It’s actually even worse than that, as
there’s the element of physical danger added onto everything
else.

Of course, referees don’t receive a lot of sympathy for their
efforts. If they stop a fight too early, they are labeled
incompetent and the fighter is livid. If they stop a fight too
late, they are labeled careless about the fighter’s health and fans
are livid. If they stop a fight at just the right time, well,
that’s to be expected and they get no credit. If a referee is
noticed and commented on, it’s almost always for the wrong
reasons.

MMA officials also have to deal with keeping testosterone-filled
professional fighters under control. This is a challenge in itself,
and when fighters get out of control, the referees generally
haven’t received protection. Phil Baroni
punched Larry
Landless because he was agitated that Landless stopped his
fight with Evan Tanner at
UFC 45. Baroni received a rematch with Tanner for his next fight a
few months later while Landless ended up being phased out as an
official. Roy Nelson
shoved John McCarthy out of frustration and got a slap on the wrist
for it because he issued a public apology. Referees have to know
they’re not going to be looked out for when it comes to any issues
that arise with star fighters.

Fighters, too, have to know referees aren’t protected figures. That
brings us to the Bellator card in Ireland. McGregor went after
Goddard and shoved him, apparently over a misunderstanding as to
whether the fight featuring McGregor’s teammate, Charlie
Ward, had been stopped. McGregor’s actions in and of themselves
weren’t that egregious. He didn’t appear to have any real desire to
cause physical harm, nor did the wild scene seem to result in any
real consequences. Rather, what McGregor did was a show of power.
That was the problem with what he did.

Just a few weeks ago, Goddard admonished McGregor to stay out of
teammate Artem
Lobov’s corner at
UFC Fight Night 118. This was the right call. McGregor was
circling around the cage yelling out advice, which no one is
allowed to do. Goddard treated McGregor respectfully but firmly,
like any other fighter. That clearly rankled McGregor, whose
actions clearly indicated he thought he was above the rules.

In Ireland, McGregor made it clear again that he views himself as
above the rules. By showing such disrespect to Goddard and another
official, he was more sending a message than anything else: I’m the
star fighter and you’re just an official. Goddard, of course, had
no recourse. He just had to accept McGregor’s demonstrative
exhibitions toward him and the boos from the crowd that accompanied
them.

That sort of disrespect is uncalled for, in general, but it’s
particularly problematic in this specific instance. For one thing,
Goddard did nothing wrong. He was simply trying to keep order, both
in Poland and in Ireland. He hadn’t done anything to affect either
fight. In addition, Goddard is one of the most professional
referees MMA has. When Sherdog put out its list of MMA’s best
referees last year, Goddard was ranked No. 3, behind only longtime
staples John McCarthy and Herb Dean.
Goddard surely would much prefer to be thought of as a quality
official or even not noticed at all to being an unlikely adversary
for MMA’s biggest superstar.

McGregor is unlikely to face any real punishment for his actions at
Bellator 187. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship has claimed he won’t fight at
UFC 219 as a result, but there’s no indication the promotion was
going to be able to come to terms with the lightweight champion in
time for that card; and McGregor isn’t exactly desperate for a
December payday. If he was yanked from the card, it would be a
punishment for the UFC more than McGregor. There’s thus not a lot
of incentive for McGregor to make things right with Goddard. That
would make it all the more magnanimous if he did.

There’s no reason for McGregor to be insecure about the way he is
treated. Everyone knows the level of success he has achieved. He
shouldn’t need to have to flaunt the status he has relative to an
MMA referee, particularly a very good one who was simply trying to
do his job. If McGregor were to apologize for getting caught up in
the moment, it would reflect positively on the level of humility he
has at this stage of his career. More importantly, it would make
one thankless job just a little bit better in a world full of
thankless jobs. Hopefully, McGregor will do the right thing, but
Goddard shouldn’t hold his breath. This is, after all, the job he
chose.

Todd Martin has written about mixed martial arts since 2002 for
a variety of outlets, including CBSSports.com, SI.com, ESPN.com,
the Los Angeles Times, MMApayout.com, Fight Magazine and Fighting
Spirit Magazine. He has appeared on a number of radio stations,
including ESPN affiliates in New York and Washington, D.C., and
HDNet’s “Inside MMA” television show. In addition to his work at
Sherdog.com, he does a weekly podcast with Wade Keller at
PWTorch.com and blogs regularly at LaTimes.com. Todd received his
BA from Vassar College in 2003 and JD from UCLA School of Law in
2007 and is a licensed attorney. He has covered UFC, Pride,
Bellator, Affliction, IFL, WFA, Strikeforce, WEC and K-1 live
events. He believes deeply in the power of MMA to heal the world
and bring happiness to all of its people.